The Will of the Sword
by Obla Di
Summary: Exploring the concept of a Zelda game set in a Hyrule of the future. A story that tries to understand the essence of what makes Zelda great and test the possibility of transplanting those elements into a more technological setting.
1. Prologue Destiny's Tyrant

**The Legend of Zelda; The Will of the Sword**

_Author's Note: I'm sure a lot of you remember the 2007 April Fool's Day prank, where rumors were spread of a new Zelda set in a more technology based setting. At first, like a lot of you, the idea was a big turn off to me. Futuristic Zelda? Certainly it is arrows and swords that lie at the heart of the series, not guns and…more guns! This got me thinking however, what is it that makes something a Zelda game? We've seen Link transported to dozens of different scenarios, adding new flesh to timeless bones and we love it each time. I think a proper synthesis of that Zelda essence into such a radically new setting, done right, will revitalize and revolutionize this series which we all hold so dear. I implore you, while reading this hypothetical game premise in story form, to ask yourselves two big questions. One, can the essence of Zelda be successfully married to a technological setting and two, what exactly is that quintessential essence, that "Zeldaness" that we all know and love. Thank You._

_Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is property of the Nintendo Corporation,, this is a fan based work. _

**Prologue; Destiny's Tyrant**

I was struck with a moment of clarity as the blade plunged into that old wound. I screamed with all the strength left in me, but not for any physical pain; Being impaled by a sword was like nothing compared to the crashing waves of revelation coursing through me. This blade, this Master Sword, could not kill me, and it never would. That was neither it's design, nor its purpose. No, I'd already been dead long before this, and you cannot kill that which does not live. I was a man once; Ganondorf Dragmire, Gerudo King of Thieves. He died long ago, destroyed by the sage's blade now lying uselessly at my side.

Now I was something else, a corpse reanimated to mimic true life, like one from the hordes of redeads I commanded. I had once thought myself blessed by the goddesses, the son of Din they would call me, the maker of destiny. I was no son, no blessed one. I was a puppet dancing on the strings of fate, always coming closer to ultimate power and glory, yet never to achieve it. Though I did not walk this circling path alone; the boy in green and she of royal blood were of a kind with me. He would forever be a Hero, but never a savior. She would forever be a princess, but never a queen. I would forever be a conqueror, but never a lord.

I struggled to my feet, warm blood dampening through the cracks of my armor. My vision was blurred, but I could just make out the two shapes before me. The hero and the princess. "Do not think this ends here." I found myself warning them. They who I had known as bitter enemies, meager obstacles to the majesties of my fate, I now found myself wanting nothing more than to warn them of the cruel hoax played on us by the goddesses.

My throat burned like fire, but I forced the words out from it anyway. "The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!" Blood, endless blood for no more purpose than for the sake of being shed. We had fought this battle countless times before, and we would continue fighting it forever after. The ancient triangles, promise of the goddesses to make mortal dreams come true. The goddesses lied!

The world started to dim around me and my thoughts began to slow. The convulsing attempts of my heart to beat around the steel embedded in it became erratic, and less and less frequent.

Light! Shining brilliant light, in the shape of the triangle tore into the darkness of death veiling my eyes, imploring me to touch it. It was the essence of all things holy and divine in this world, the essence of energy, the essence of life itself! It was a familiar power, and only now did I understand it for what it truly was; purely and unabashedly evil. For a second I found myself lifting my hand towards it, addicted to that which I despised, but with the last shred of will remaining in my broken body, I pulled away.

The triangle faded into nothingness, and took all my love, hate, hope, and desire with it. The world became cold and black. Sweet, beautiful blackness.


	2. Chapter 1 Remember the Trees

**The Legend of Zelda; The Will of the Sword**

_Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is property of the Nintendo Corporation,, this is a fan based work._

**Chapter 1; Remember the Trees**

Waves of shadow, crashing endlessly.

Challenges from accusers unknown.

A million screams for help, gurgling forth from slit throats.

Blood, have to keep the blood in.

Link shot up from his sleep with a gasp, sending his blanket flying. Cold sweat ran down his naked back as he acquisitioned himself to reality. He sent his right hand crashing into the droning alarm at his bedside, causing its deafening screech to go silent. Reluctantly, he lifted his hand to reveal the cruel face of the digital clock and cringed. His fears were confirmed by the light of the sun sneaking past one of the two shaded windows of his apartment.

The young man swiveled his feet from the hard box mattress to the cold metal floor. He stifled a yawn trying to escape and walked over to his "bathroom", I.E. a toilet, a small sink and mirror, and a floor-drain shower tucked into a corner of the economically compact housing.

He did not have time to shower, so he went to the thin metal sink. It had but one faucet; cold was the only option here. Link cranked the valve open and waited as the water gurgled up the length of the pipe. It came sputtering out of the tap all at once before regulating into a more even flow. Link cupped his hands and let them fill into a small pool of the sterile liquid. He splashed the freezing water into his face, refilled his hands and splashed again. The icy shock refreshed him, washing away the last dazes of sleep from his blue eyes.

He reached for a small rectangular cut of rag hanging stiffly to the side, and looked at himself in the mirror as he dried his face. Small rings were beginning to form under his eyes. The nightmares were occurring more and more often, things that had him flinging himself about in his sleep, terrors so gripping they made him somehow ignore his supremely obnoxious alarm. And what were the content of these dreams? That was the most frustrating part, he remembered nothing upon waking.

When he was completely dry, Link went to the small and sturdy dresser at the foot of his bed, digging through its drawers for the closest thing he had to clean. He settled on some worn blue trousers and a sleeveless white shirt that wouldn't get too hot as the day went on. He jumbled into his clothing and grabbed his trusty hardhat from atop the wardrobe and secured it to his head; the stiff yellow plastic had saved his life before and he went nowhere without it. Finally donning his gloves and work boots, he opened the door out of his apartment and headed outside.

The vast stretches of the untamed Kokiri forest greeted Link as he stepped forth from the small complex of identical grey apartments. Link had called the forest his home for a good many months, and not even he was quite used to the nigh endless expanse of treetops visible from his vantage point. He looked to the east to see the twilight sun just peeking the green sea of leaves, putting a immediate jump to his step; He really was late.

Link clambered down the few flights of creaking stairs down to camp at the foot of the shelter complex. Workmen almost as young as he to those hiding white hair underneath their helmets all scurried busily about the camp. A small group of men was scavenging through about a dozen wild hogs. The powerful driving machines had apparently been vandalized the night before, and the men were looking for any useable parts.

In the center of the camp stood a middle aged man with only a ring of hair to the claim of his head. He stood hunched over a squat table on which was jumbled a multitude of white papers littered with tiny black text. Perched next to the paper was a steaming mug of coffee, threatening to ruin the man's plans with every tremor of the shifting table. Link stuffed a stale bagel from the breakfast tray into his pocket for later, and walked reluctantly over to the man at the center of the camp.

"Reporting for sign in sir." Link said, careful not to let his eyes fall. The man, Mr. Aero by name, looked up from his papers, a permanent irritation at life twisting his face.

"This is the third time you've been late this week lad." Mr. Aero said, taking a long draught from his coffee mug. "This has to stop."

"I understand sir." Link responded.

"Is it still those dreams? Maybe its time to see one of those head doctors." the foreman suggested, shuffling through his papers.

"With all due respect Mr. Aero, what would I tell them? I'm being consistently bothered by dreams I can't remember?" Link asked.

Mr. Aero gave a grunt in response. "You're marking today." he commanded, returning to his papers. Link nodded, grabbing one of the heavy black markers from a shallow wooden box amongst the clutter on Mr. Aero's table. He briskly began the walk towards the forest, digging the circular leavened bread from his pocket.

Link brushed the last crumbs off his fingers as he approached the border of the forest. He visually scanned the trees until his eyes fell upon a extraordinary specimen; a big cedar, tall and proud. Link removed one of his gloves and brushed his hand against the light brown wood. It was rough, but not gnarled as do become the more ancient specimens. Link broke off a small piece of the bark and smelled it, the signature aromatic scent of the tree was almost pungently strong. Robust, in the prime of its life. Link gave it one last quick rap with his knuckle before uncapping the black felt pen.

K-4, he wrote in broad letters on the trunk before backing away from it. A man with red hair, Klark by name, waved to Link from his seat on one of the functioning Wild Boars as he saw the marking, before bringing the full brunt of the machine's saws against the tree. Link began to journey deeper into the forest, hearing the resounding fall of the cedar echoing through the forest about a minute or so later.

Link went about his day, testing the attributes of trees that would be of some particular interest to harvest, or might present some type of problem to the woodsmen. He continued for some hours, the outside world and his inner concerns silenced by the meditative emptiness of the work. It was only after marking off a toughened and sinuous old tree that presented the threat of jamming the wild hogs when Link noticed the sun reaching the peak of its crest. The sounds of his fellow workmen tearing down the trees had become a faint hum in the distance. "One more." Link told himself. "Then I'll head back."

He walked about the depths of the forest searching for the last tree to mark. Link soon sidestepped over a root that seemed raised to trip him, and found himself in the midst of a small meadow. The young forester's jaw dropped as he laid eyes upon that which marked the clearing's center. The first thing that struck him first was its sheer size; the trees of Kokiri forest always grew to great proportions, but this was ridiculous. A single stream that cut through the meadow ended as it met the massive roots, as if its only purpose was watering the giant.

The second thing that stuck out to him was the eerie resemblance the bark had to a human face. If not for the uneven ware unique to natural growth, he would have sworn someone had carved it to look like that. Link took a few steps towards the great piece of foliage; it was going to take a lot more than a few markings from a felt pen to figure out how to cut this thing down.

Just as he reached the foot of the monolith, Link thought he heard a sound, a ruffling of shifting branches. He shot his head back to the forest behind; only the whispers inherit to the woods. He knelt down and began to study the roots of the great monster when a searing pain opened up across the back of his head. He fell to the ground like a sack of rocks, yellow shards of hard plastic from his hardhat flurrying down around him. A glimpse of Green people melting out of the trees were the last things he saw.


	3. Chapter 2 The Green People

**The Will of the Sword**

_Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is property of the Nintendo Corporation,, this is a fan based work. _

**Chapter 2; The Green People**

"What else are we supposed to do with him?" Hearing was the first thing to return to the young woodsman with the aching head. There was a clamor of voices in response to the first, confused and muttering.

"We can't let him go!" A second voice protested. "He's seen the Deku Tree, It'll be cut down within a week if he returns to the other lost ones." This brought up another round of mumblings from the other less distinct voices.

As his vision came back into focus, he saw an ant trapezing across a blade of grass. Looking up from the forest floor he found himself crumpled atop, Link paid witness to a very peculiar site. There was about a dozen or so of the forest children from the fairy tales, filling the small shaded alcove. That they were supposed to be the forest children Link was sure, the green tunics and little pointed hats clearly matched those from the stories, but there was something wrong about them; Forest children were supposed to be just that, eternal children that would never age. These were grown adults!

Link tried to get up, but found his arms and legs restrained by the rasping bite of rope fiber. The forest children were supposed to like playing tricks on wanderers, but he had never heard of them knocking you over the head and taking you captive.

"He's awake!" someone panicked, from what sounded to be in the direction of his feet. Suddenly, all eyes were on him.

"Perhaps we should remedy that." rumbled a burly man who looked a joke in his green shorts, gently striking an iron blackjack into his palm.

"Don't bother, I think we all know what needs to be done." came a voice, colder then all the ice of winter. Link turned his gaze to look upon a tall, thin man from which the voice had come. The sheer gauntness of his face, those eyes that looked better placed in the skull of a rabid wolf, somehow were enough to make Link forget completely the ridiculous clothing he wore. "He's seen the great Deku Tree. We can neither allow him to go back and report on what he saw, or hinder our movements by taking him with us. We can make it look like he was mauled by an animal."

A choking silence filled the air, unspoken dissents could be felt bubbling below, but they did not break the surface. Those sunken eyes turned hungrily to their potential victim. Link stared right back at him, refusing to be the one to break gaze.

"So, this is the woodsman you assaulted." A woman melted out of the trees, flanked by two men. She was caked with the forest grime like the others, and her green tunic was particularly worn. She wore a floppy green hat, under was just visible her honey-gold hair. Somewhere under the dirt that hid her cheeks, was a sense of regality, of leadership in that austerely set face. "Have you lost your mind Ethanos?" she spat at the tall man.

"This lost one, this tree cutter." The man retorted just as sharply, pointing his finger at Link like the crack of a whip. "Stumbled upon the Deku Tree, his filthy feet defiling the sacred grove. What would you have me do? Let him mark up the great lord of the forests with his pen? Allow him to start formulating ways which he may be cut down?"

"The Lord of the Forest left this place long ago." The woman stated. "Is that…shell in the meadow really worth betraying your oaths? We are to do no harm." Her words carried all the weight of command.

Link now knew what company he was amongst. Hope's Guard as they called themselves, radical defenders of the environment. It had undoubtedly been they who had sabotaged the Wild Hog cutting machines the night before.

"And what should happen when that 'shell' as you so callously call it." Ethanos challenged through clenched teeth. "Is destroyed and the Lord of the Forest has nowhere to go upon the return? Already countless amounts of sacred ground has been destroyed. Our protests accomplish nothing, even the most hardy resolve cannot stand to teargas or bullets. And what good does destroying their machines do? No matter how much we break, they always make it back tenfold in their profits. If we want to slow their progress, we need to make the sacrifices we might be afraid of. It may not be ideal, but if we do not do something soon, then we will fail."

"Do you think killing this man will stop them from reaching the Deku Tree?" she challenged. "Their machines are close, they will fall upon it soon enough regardless of what we do. To kill one is to say that we have the right to take human life, we do not! We are here to serve humanity, to see that he does not destroy himself with his own foolishness." The woman said. "The second we take a human life, that is when we fail." The two stared for a moment, it was Ethanos to concede. Not even rabid wolf eyes could challenge those ones forged of steel.

"What do you suggest we do, just let him…?" Ethanos asked in a broken tone.

"Yes." the woman confirmed. "Cut the ropes." She commanded to the two who had come with her. There was the whisper of a knife and a release of tension from Link's arms and then his legs. He sat up warily, coaxing feeling back into his limbs, but never taking his eyes off the scene before him. "All of you leave. You have your duties." She said, commanding them with but the flick of a wrist. The members of Hope's Guard disappeared into the forest behind them, of the implications this moment would have on the organizations inner workings, Link had not the slightest idea.

"Go with them." The woman said to her escort. "I'll be along shortly." When the final two had disappeared into a forest, the young woman walked over to a nearby stump and plopped herself down upon it with a restrained sigh. She proceeded to recline, looking past link as if she did not even notice the woodsman who's life she had saved was there. Whenever Link should look at her fully, she would return his gaze right back, saying nothing, until he looked away.

"Thank you." Link finally found himself muttering. The quiet had to be a very strong one for him to be the one to break it.

"I would have done the same for anyone." was her response. "My actions were motivated by principal, not by the personal."

"Yes, well thank you regardless." Link said, brushing himself off as he rose to his feet. He winced as the blood rushed to the agonizing spot where he had been knocked out.

"You're free to go you know." she said. "Its not like my people will shoot you down upon leaving." again there was that certain regality. That stump may as well have been a throne.

Link nodded, turning to go. "You know, for what its worth Miss, I've been cutting trees and plotting land my whole life." he said. "And I've never seen anything that resembles any of these…'spirits' your organization believes in. Whatever damage we do to the environment, the company is always very meticulous in synthesizing the balance back into the ecosystem. I know its not my place to say, but perhaps you folks should reevaluate your mission in life." It was with all possible humility that Link presented the argument against Hope's Guard that his fellow woodsmen were so fond of, the original version being peppered with much more colorful language of course. Constantly having to call in for repairs was a tedious task, and none could understand the ultimate purpose behind protecting some old trees."

"Your body is not synonymous with your conscious." The woman said, patting her leg. "But I doubt you'd like it if I threw it into a meat grinder. The mystical forces may have left this world, but it is with all due resolve that we hope to preserve these physical temples that they once occupied, for when they return." she tapped a tooth with a worn fingernail. "If they return." That part was much quieter, and Link was not sure if he was supposed to hear it.

"Well, perhaps its better that they don't return. The world seems just fine as it is." Link said. Not all the tales of the old times were nice, and he thought he'd be rather alright without dragons and talking trees.

"Comments the man who knows not the color red onto a field of roses." She retorted. "This world is a pale reflection of what it once. So much has been lost. The forest children, the shadow folk, countless others fantastical races beyond imaging simply vanished. Others like the familiar Gorons and Zora are more grounded in physical reality, but do not be fooled, they are not the same creatures they once were."

"We're still around too." Link volunteered.

The woman laughed, a strangely full laughter. "We humans lost the most of all." she said rising from her seat and stepping towards him. "Once we were called a different name, and had pointed ears, but oh we were so much more. We heard the secrets of the Gods, made ourselves like them. Now, we are reduced to some meager animation of life, mockeries of what we once were. Perhaps if we prove ourselves worthy one day, we shall hear the voices of the Gods once again." She was now standing an arms length away from him.

She laughed at his wary expression, and plucked the floppy green cap from her golden hair. "Here, I think we owe you a new hat." she said, imbibing the thing to him.

"Thanks." Link mumbled, turning the stupid pointed thing over in his hands. "Perhaps a new skull would do nicely to." he said, feeling the throb at the back of his head. She smiled and began to walk off in the opposite direction from him. "Hey wait." He called out. "What's your name?" he asked instinctually

She turned towards him curiously. "Names are a powerful thing, but I am not like Ethanos who believes in hiding in the shadows. If the world is to know the truth, we must be perfectly transparent in our holding of it. I call myself Zel." she said with a shrug. "Best I could do with such an archaic name." And with that, she was gone.


	4. Chapter 3 Epona

**The Will of the Sword**

_Author's Note: Sorry I haven't uploaded for awhile. Having some trouble chasing the muse lately. I'll try to get some solid writing in over the next couple days to make up for it._

_Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda is property of the Nintendo Corporation,, this is a fan based work. _

**Chapter 3; Epona**

The last stains of twilight were beginning to draw from the world when Link finally came in sight of the woodsman's camp. Link felt waves of relief wash over him as those first mournful howls of the Wolves came to greet the night. Men were dealing with the final odds and ends, The last of the Wild Hogs were being driven to the garage, and Mr. Aero was hastily packing away his mess of papers; a light stain of brown on the table and a shattered mug in the tiny trash can next to it told that his morning coffee had not survived.

"He's back sir!" someone called as he stumbled into the camp. Link grimaced at his aborted hopes of going unnoticed, and his legs all but gave out at the sight of an entire camp of bulking sweaty lumberjacks rushing towards him. None were faster than Mr. Aero however, who's rage drove his 50 year old legs faster than a sports sprinter.

"God damn it boy, you know wiser than to be outside the perimeter at this time!" his fancy fountain pen snapped within his grip, splattering black ink all over his jacket. "Where have you been?" saliva frothed to bubbly white was slathered to the corners of his lips.

Link put up his hands defensively. "I was captured by some of the Hope's Guard." he said, projecting his voice over the chaos of the camp. There was a collective gasp, and all fell silent. Mr. Aero's lips hung frozen in the midst of his curse, his legendary fury was stopped cold. All attention was on Link. "I was marking some trees a bit deeper in when I found…" he paused. "When I found a dismembered gear from one of the wild hogs. As I was investigating it, one of them knocked me over the head." He said, turning around to display the evidence and also to hide his lying face. That girl, Zel, had very likely saved his life. He would keep his silence concerning the great tree, Link felt he owed her that much.

"You mean they actually attacked you?" Mr. Aero asked, his voice little more than a whisper. It was quite a strange sound coming from the foreman. "Physically?"

Link nodded slowly. "Well yes, but I don't think they plan to make a habit of it. I think they've been nervous because of our progress. I must have just surprised them. They did let me go after all." he offered.

Mr. Aero rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Regardless, there has actually been an incidence of violence on their part. The congress has really been dragging its feet concerning these tree loving fairy chasers, perhaps it'll take them more seriously when I make my report. Perhaps they'll finally send some soldiers to clear the lot of them out." for a second, his eyes were somewhere else, calculating odds and ends, cost/benefit analysis.

"What are the lot of you staring at?" Mr. Aero finally snapped out of his strange introversion, turning to his workers with a sneer. "Finish packing up so we can call it a night already." The crowding of woodsmen dispersed on his command like it was the crack of his whip, none so much as casting a glance back to the strange scene that most obviously dominated their minds.

"Not so fast boy." Mr. Aero said as Link went to join his fellow woodsmen. "Go upstairs and pack your things, as of this moment, you're on mandatory leave." he decreed.

"You're kicking me out?" Link sputtered, ignoring the tiny wisdom in his mind that said Mr. Aero was not to be argued with.

"You act like I'm firing you. This is quite a gift." Mr. Aero said, pulling a kerchief from his pocket and dabbing up the ink from his hand. "A paying vacation! And even I know that you need it kid. An encounter with those nut jobs out there won't have done anything to ease your sleeping problems I assume."

"What do you expect me to do?" Link asked. Life with the company was all he knew.

"I don't know, but I want you gone until you're nightmare free." Mr. Aero said. "This is your one chance to get rid of them. If you come back and you're still showing up consistently late, I'll have no choice but to fire you." he said, walking off to finish packing up his papers. He turned his head back momentarily, chasing away any sympathy that might be foolish to seek refuge on his stern face. "Don't worry, we and this forest won't be going anywhere, not for awhile anyway." Link scowled after him, his lips quivering with unexpressed sentiment. Finally, he stormed up the stairs of the dormitory tower to gather his things.

He silently went through his tiny apartment, stuffing supplies into his pack. His only three sets of casual clothing, his wallet-card, and a toothbrush were all he gathered from his room. Without really thinking about it, he stuffed Zel's floppy green hat on top of the rest before zipping shut. He secured the pack to his back and stepped out of his home. He took one last look back at the cramped little apartment, the square box mattress, the tiny little stove for heating tea, before shutting it away behind the cold aluminum door. He ignored the fire and the trailing looks cast by the woodsmen sitting around with their plastic trays of chalky potatoes and the poor cut brisket. He headed directly for the garage where the Wild Hogs were stored.

"Oh, hey Link." Linus, a mechanic with a potbelly was just on his way out from securing the last of the long line of Wild Hogs. "Can I get you anything."

"Epona." was all the newly made outcast said.

"Right." he replied. Linus walked over to the big cork board hanging near the door and grabbed a shiny little key from amongst the hundreds and tossed it towards him. Link snatched it from the air with his left hand, gave a thank you farewell nod to Linus, and strode down through the long line of gaping headlight and open maws with teeth made to shred trees.

Epona was in the second to last stall, resting gracefully on her kickstand. Link mounted her with the ease of repetition, allowing himself one moment to be absorbed in the comforting familiarity of the old beast. He wafted the gentle mix of diesel fuel, beat up leather seats, and the tinge of burnt rubber from her wheels. He let his hands fall gently around her neck, brake and throttle were firm and steady in his hands.

He turned the key, and with a snort the rust red motorcycle roared to life. He tapped the switch, and the small garage door opened before them to the world outside. Link gently accelerated, making sure to get out of the way before the timed garage door closed shut. In the distance was the glow of the campfire and the looming shadow of the dormitory tower, but that was of no concern to Link. All that mattered now was the lonely two way road that ran through the various acres of wood that had already been cleared, out to the civilized world.

A cool wind blew up from the south just before Link began his ride, stealing all the pockets of warmth nestled between his messy brown hair. Link shivered, and with some reluctance, pulled out the green hat from his backpack and slipped it onto his head. The thing may have looked stupid, but it was a comfortably snug fit and surprisingly warm. Link thought for a moment, then unwrapped the cord to the tiny headphones from their container on the dash and stuck them into his ears. Finally, he punched the accelerator and blazed off down the barren road into the streetlamp lit night. When he was a few miles down the road, the camp well behind him, he gently turned on the radio.

"Welcome to the Hyrule Classical Radio, I'm your host Heidegger Snouts." The smooth bass voice whispered into his ear. "It's 7:03, and we're going to be kicking off the night with some selected works by the composer brothers. First off, Opus 133, also known as "Goodbye Sun."

"Goodbye Sun." Link repeated as the first chord began to resonate in his ear. "Goodbye."


End file.
